Creating Space for Herbivores in a Carnivorous World.

Hey look! There is a vegetarian on our table!

Photo by Tim Cooper on Unsplash

At some point during the transitions of life, I became a vegetarian.

Although I had seen this change coming for quite some time, my family was caught off guard. Of all the people who had to come to terms with my newfound vegetarianism, my parents struggled the most.

Carnivorous families often take pride in discussing the meat-eating habits of their newborns. So, my decision to become a vegetarian was a significant shock to them.

What would happen to the instincts I had developed while growing up on bone broth and omega-3 fatty acids that ONLY came out when the fish was fried in scrumptious portions of oil…and love?

For me, my protein-packed instincts gradually faded when four paws called upon my Motherly duties.

Suddenly, conversations that took shape and form around a spread of perfectly cooked chicken, delicately steamed prawn rice, and sizzling fillet of fish fell silent under the spell of eggplants and potatoes.

The garbanzo beans that once got into a hall of fame during vegetarian Mondays now fell silent to the shame that came from a vegetarian sitting in a highly flammable carnivorous family.